Feeling Blue
by Very Sincerely Yours
Summary: Movie AU: Loki can't always hide himself, even when he desperately needs to. And after Laufey sees how he in immune to the freeze, not hiding is only half of his problem.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Loki was never one for fighting. He could do it, and quite well too, but he didn't like to if he could help it. Hand to hand combat was almost natural to him, despite his reluctance to engage in it, his style developing into one completely unique, fast and deadly yet frighteningly graceful. He liked spears, the familiar weight in his hand, always with perfect balance. Daggers were on him at all times, either for throwing or close combat. Projectiles, whether it be from a staff or his own hands, were also preferable to getting dirty, and his aim was nothing short of horrifyingly accurate. But he could fight, even if he didn't like to. Because, honestly, why get your hands dirty if you could so easily avoid it? He could do just as well with a few carefully thought out words, a poke around in someone's brain with a simple reading of their face. It wasn't that hard. Action and reaction, you only had to know where to look.

And the best part was, if you could read other people you were one step closer to controlling yourself, something Loki was very, very good at. He could cheat, scam, lie and better at will, without a second thought. He could be weak and help me it hurts when it does or it doesn't or he didn't even know. That was what Loki liked best about Loki. The fact that he was like glass and that it was strong glass. That he was so good at being transparent and invisible. He liked where he was, toeing a fine line between shattering and impaling whatever was closest to him, which was usually Thor, and was happy to stay there for the foreseeable future.

His magic was, seemingly at least, his greatest weapon. That is what people always said. It fueled his pranks, his fighting, even his everyday life. But, either because he was smarter than everyone else or because he just made a habit of disagreeing with people, he believed that to be wrong. Because the thing he valued over anything else was his lexicon. His greatest weapon. He doesn't need to lie, even though he is the God of said practice. In fact, aside from his schemes and his pranks he doesn't lie that often. Just because he gets bored so, so easily, people assume that he's a trouble maker. And he is, most definitely, but it's not always a bad thing, as hard as that is to believe. Because his head is his greatest weapon. His mind. That and, in turn, what he used express to his thoughts. They didn't call him Silver-tongue for nothing after all.

Everyone had a lexicon, and it was almost always underestimated and taken for granted, but never with him. Because it would be stupid not to use the greatest, most powerful thing everyone had at their disposal, and that is the sole reason why he assumed everyone else was, indeed, stupid. That, and because they were. But he didn't mind that, so long as they didn't get on his nerves, like stupid people tended to do. They were just so hard to get through to, you explain something over and over and it still so hard for people to grasp. Loki couldn't stand it. He didn't complain, again; as hard as that is to believe, because he'd lived with Thor for his entire life and gained some measure of self restraint, but sometimes found it hard to stop himself from being condescending and making people feel small. And sometimes he just did it on purpose, but that wasn't a big deal.

No, Loki wasn't insensitive, just smart. Wise might be a better word. To stop it from sounding egotistical, the best word would be moralistic. He believed in things and those things came first. And when it came to emotion, it used to be all or nothing. Now of course, he did his best to hide any emotion at all costs, probably because he was older and more sophisticated and didn't want Thor to be able to get inside his head. If he were happy as a child, the sun would literally expand to three times it's normal size and everything would become painfully bright. If he were sad, the ground would shake and green goo would drip off the castle walls and he'd lock the sun in a chest and chain it to oblivion. If he felt alone, he'd shut down, and then his actions were no longer accounted for, not in his mind. And yet they were, more than anything else.

Still, and to summarize, Loki could fight, physically. He didn't like to, because his mind was a wonderful thing and shan't be delved into further at this current time, but he could.

And that is exactly what he was doing now.

Frost Giants were large and lanky, albeit not-so-surprisingly strong, but overall not that hard to manage. An army of them on the other hand, would surely tire out the greatest warrior. Except Thor that was, but he didn't really count. No, an army was harder. You could knock them down and down down down but there were always more coming from all directions. Armies were endless and you'd only find someone like Thor challenging one made up of Frost Giants, on Jotunheim, with only five other warriors as backup. Even if the Lady Sif, who counted as four warriors, the Warriors Three, when working together, as at least six and Loki, depending on what mood he was in, possibly an army himself, were behind him, it was still a very stupid thing to do. Thor just happened to be a very stupid god most of the time, so it fit quite well.

But there they all were, fighting an army. Thor beating the crap out of whatever so much as blinked at him, whether that be a Frost Giant or the giant beasts that were stampeding through the battlefield. Thor himself looked a lot like a giant beast, but Loki knew better than to mention that now, or ever for that matter. The Thunderer was reducing everything in his immediate vicinity to pieces of Mjolnir smashed carcass, and having a damn good time too. Well, one of them had to.

And, for the record, Loki had offered Thor the perfect opportunity to leave this place without a battle.

"We will accept your...most gracious offer."

It was a bit over the top and took quite a mass of pride, something Thor would've never put on the line, but it worked and they were going to leave. So, so close.

And then an idiot giant had the gall to call Thor a princess. And as they all froze, thinking the same thing at exactly the same time, Thor's mouth quirking with hate, humour and the urge to kill, the only word that had left his lips and filled the silence was damn.

Because honestly, with the battle they were in now, after being so close, damn just seemed to be the perfect word.

Sif was going about things with her usual demeanour, an exercise rather than a life-threatening situation. She killed left and right, slicing and stabbing, her movements fluent and precise. Behind that though, was an air of confidence only found in one who had already proven them-self. One who knew their place and was proud of it. And so Sif's style could only be described as one without doubt, something even Thor admired from time to time. Frost Giants were trying to avoid her, but none that she set her eyes on ever escaped her grasp.

The Warriors Three were fighting both together and individually, although they seemed to have each other's back at all times, even when they were separated by not-so-small hordes of Frost Giants. There wasn't much to say about them, other than how they seemed to be able to fight and act like oversized children at the same time. They protected each other though, and that seemed enough information to provide a positive impression of the three. It was probably best to leave it at that before one caught wind of their more...unsavory practices, which looked less like honor and more like stuffing themselves and each other with masses of food and mead.

If we are to analyze Loki's progress, we firstly need to know exactly how he is feeling. His styles changed depending on his emotions and although he had never truly found his 'happy place' he wasn't always tricking and scheming and I'm wise and powerful and leave me the hel alone to read my Latin and do my homework. No, he was moderately happy at the time, during this battle. He'd successfully stopped Thor from being crowned, which, as hard as this is to believe, was for the good of Asgard. Loki knew his brother better than anyone, anyone, else and that meant knowing Thor was not fit to rule so long as he continued to act like an oversized and prideful buffoon. He had a sorry excuse for a mind, and the mind he had was not put to good use, if any. And that is why Loki was always there, to stop Thor from destroying majority of the nine realms, which may be a tiny exaggeration, but not by much considering it was Thor he was talking about. So that was fine, no one was hurt, Asgard was safe and they were still brothers, as annoying as ever. The trip to Jotunheim was not what he had planned, and although it was a stupid idea, he didn't mind this time. No, Thor was an idiot, but he was Loki's idiot, and Loki didn't want to lose his brother to Asgard when he was so sure that it wasn't time. If Thor was king now, it would all go to hel, and he felt that something bad was coming anyhow, so it was the right thing to do.

Damn, Loki was good at lying, to himself especially.

So Loki was in a good mood, which you could see if you watched him as he played with the larger beasts until they accidentally impaled themselves. What a shame. And when one made its way towards him, he sent his magic out, to the edge of a cliff. The rocks crunched and toppled down, down, down, into the trench behind him and the creature lifted its great head, sensing easy prey. It charged, heavy feet stopping, romping, closer, closer, closer, and the creature didn't hesitate to charge into what it thought was an enemy's flesh and blood. Loki only watched as his clone dissipated and the creature toppled over the edge and down to the ice below. He paused a moment before turning and rejoining the battle, a small smile lighting up his thin face. So Loki seemed to be enjoying himself as well, or at least just a little, because he was the first to see that they were wearing down far too quickly, until it was become dangerously obvious that they were close to breaking point. And Loki wasn't fond of breaking points, or at least not his own.

When he informed his brother, in the nicest way possible of course, he wasn't at all surprised at Thor's response. It was basically, I am a god and I don't care if you wish to flee like a little girl, I will not stop murdering things and there's nothing you can do to stop me, in a short, polite, Shakespearean sentence. He was only slightly surprised when the Warriors Three agreed with him instead of their idol, although it wasn't enough to award them with a brain in his own mind. Thor continued to smash and break and kill without a thought and for a moment, Loki's eyes met Sif's from across the battlefield. She rolled said eyes whilst piercing a Frost Giant's cold heart and a smile crept its way across his face yet again. Those eyes said yes, he is a buffoon but he is your brother, and Loki responded with his own look, you chose to be his friend, I haven't the choice at all. As quickly as the moment began it was gone and Loki faced yet another merciless giant, yet another beast about to die.

Only this time things went differently. He'd heard a yell, one of the Warriors Three, possibly Hogun, but he couldn't be sure, saying something about freezing, not letting them touch you. He hadn't been planning to let a giant touch him before then, but it was good to know that it wasn't an option at all, just in case.

This time, however, he let the monster grip his wrist, not by choice, but it touched him none the less.

And he expected the burn, the painful cold, the agony that would erupt from his wrist and possibly leave his hand lying on the ice at his feet. His throat was clamped shut, because he half expected himself to cry out, and knew that Thor, as different as they were and as engrossed in battle as his brother was at that moment, would come running to his aid, his speed possibly fast enough to challenge Sleipnir himself. He expected the Giant to sneer and glare and attempt to rip his neck in half.

What happened, however, was far different. The gauntlet shattered and fell away, but there was no pain, no burn, no message in his mind, it hurts it hurts let go. His eyes met the Giant's and there was no sneer, only shock and disbelief, what the hel do I do now?

And he looked down at his arm, his wrist, what he thought would be burnt and painful and tarnished and ow, only to see it turning blue. It crept slowly, the blue, up his hand and his fingers and wrapped around his palm. It snaked its way, ever so slowly, up his arm and around so he was blue, he was blue. It wasn't sinking in, the realization. He just stared and stared and stared as if his arm had grown a head and tail...again.

And then the giant let go and if Loki'd expected a blow, which he did before he realized his arm was blue, then that blow would've surely killed him, provided it was accurate. But there was no blow, only a deafening silence and pressure in his head. He heard nothing, but everything was so loud. He was blue, he was blue, he was blue.

And Laufey rose slowly from were he sat, watching the battle with an idle smile, his face now unreadable and grin malicious. Agonizingly slowly, his voice booming out over everything else, all movement stopping, dead in its tracks. All eyes on Loki, his blue arm slowly fading back to pink. They would've thought it some of Loki's magic, had it not been for the indefinite confusion and panic and fear in his eyes.

And Thor wanted to run, to run so hard to defend his brother, but he didn't move, frozen, just like everyone else.

Loki stumbled back, back-side hitting the cold, hard, unforgiving ice, his eyes still locked on the extremity in question. And as Laufey spoke again, slow and cruel and malicious and slightly, just slightly amused, it was as if he broke through the surface of a pool, his ears popping, the world rushing back.

"What have we here?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

When a large hand wrapped it's way around Loki's throat, lifting him up off the ground and dangling him loosely in the air, he didn't feel anything. He should have, seeing as the hand in question belonged to Laufey, but he wasn't. In fact, the only thing that caught his attention was the blue, the hand was _blue_. Frost Giants usually were, and Loki knew this of course, but his head was just filled with the colors, the color, the _blue, blue, blue_. He hung there, lifted four feet above the ground so his eyes were level Laufey's, although he didn't look anywhere near the giant at all. He was staring at his hand, his pink, flesh and blood hand, free of the gauntlet, and held up slightly before him. It was his hand, had been part of him his entire life, but now felt like the most foreign thing in all of Asgard.

_But it wasn't blue. Was it blue? Had it been blue?_

"You are Loki, yes?" Laufey hissed, bringing Loki's face closer and forcing their eyes to meet. "Trickster. Lier. Monster too it seems, unless you care to explain." He took Loki's wrist in his own huge blue hand, the one that wasn't currently beginning to squash Loki's windpipe, encompassing the pink flesh completely. It seemed small and sad and so very fragile there, and Laufey inspected it with burning eyes.

And then the tingling returned, just like before. He heard a cry, one of the Warriors Three screaming _no_, and wondered why they'd even care if he was frozen. Maybe they hadn't seen his blue wrist before, or maybe only they realized what Laufey was doing to him and were vainly trying to stop it.

His heart contracted, or at least it felt like it, when he didn't see Thor close by. No-one was fighting for him, not even the one who always promised to protect him. Was he a monster? Was his brother afraid of him now?

Suddenly, pain flashed up the length of Loki's arm, up to his shoulder. It was fast, like a flash of lightning, and as soon as it passed the blue followed in its wake. The feeling came so quickly, without warning, as if a troll had driven a spear thought his palm and up the length of his arm, and Loki screamed. He hadn't felt pain like it, never in his long life. The pain had never seeped into his bones and eaten them from the inside. It was always skin deep, painful but not really inside him, and he was sure that it was a just 'god' thing, a strange tolerance that he had taken for granted until now. This was different, the sharpness ripped his arm to pieces before it settled into a dull ache and finally the tingling, this time his whole arm instead of just his wrist. He didn't know what it meant, but he was scared. So very, very scared. What was wrong with him?

Laufey ripped Loki's sleeve away and the god's whole arm stood blue against the ice. Blue, oh god, he was blue. Loki knew it, he saw it, but he didn't dare look for more than a second. The world was hazy, his eyes glazed by over by a layer of tears threatening to fall. _No, no, no, no, no_.

"Unhand him!"

The bellowed words sent a tidal wave of emotion through Loki, everything from relief, to anger, to anger at that relief, to apprehension and still that fear, the paralyzing fear that wracked his entire body with tremors.

Relief, because his brother was here, Thor didn't hate him, he wasn't going to get hurt anymore.

Anger, because it had taken Thor this long to come to his aid.

Anger at his relief, and, if he thought about it, his previous anger as well, because he was relying on Thor and that was extremely insulting to his pride.

Apprehension, because this was Thor he was thinking about and Mjolnir was already raised threateningly above his brother's head.

Fear, because Laufey's hand was crushing his windpipe and he would be an idiot if he wasn't scared.

When he realised that all this and more was clear in his eyes, the fear the foremost of all the emotions, his pride took yet another blow.

"Unhand my brother or face my wrath!" Thor yelled, primal rage echoing through his words. Loki shivered as he heard them, letting the threat reverberate through his skull. Green eyes, overcome with emotion, glazed over with tears, locked with burning red ones. At the plea was evident in the formers, as badly as he tried to hide it, a sharp-toothed grin split Laufey's face in two. He let Loki squirm under his gaze for another second, fully aware of Thor's slowly tightening fist gripping that blasted hammer of his, before releasing the boy's neck and arm and letting him fall to the ground.

Loki hit the ice with his un-armored arm below him and groaned through his teeth as he heard and felt it snap. He fixed his attention on it for the moment, welcoming a distraction, even if it was a painful one, with open arms. Gingerly pulling the broken extremity out from under his back, Loki could only watch in awe as the blue faded, first from his shoulder and then down the length of his arm. It slithered and swerved, all the way down until the tips of his fingers were pink again. He flexed them for a moment before a shot of pain flashed down his broken arm, no longer bone deep, thank Odin, and happily noted that it wasn't an open break. Swiftly removing his cape, he wrapped his arm tightly, letting part of the green fabric hang down into his lap as he looked up, holding his arm to his body firmly. It was still aching, the tingling having left with the discoloration, and he did his best to keep it immobile, still nervous and unsure. It wasn't his magic, he knew that much, but that was all he knew and it scared him beyond belief.

Still holding his bad arm against his armor, Loki used his good hand to push himself off the ground, and stood rather shakily for a second before finally looking up at Laufey. The frost giant was still smiling, and Loki was sure that his expression, no, his eyes, weren't schooled appropriately enough. He couldn't do anything about it, however, and instead moved his gaze to meet his brother's, using Thor as a focus point to keep some of the emotion at bay.

Thor was fully aware of his brother's inability to hide his emotions and it scared him greatly. Usually he never knew what Loki was thinking on the best of days, and when he did it was either because they were brothers and had known each other their entire lives or because Loki wanted him to see it, which didn't necessarily make it true. But now here they all were, and Thor could see that Loki was hurting, because amongst all the emotion in those green eyes pain was what he recognized as the strongest, right along with the fear. Loki was scared. He hadn't been scared since they were small, and thunderstorms attacked Asgard in the dead of night. Since he had crawled into Thor's bed and clung to him for dear life. Now there was never any weakness, and it pained Thor to see it so open and unrestrained all of a sudden.

He was going to kill Laufey. _Slowly_.

It had been ensured the moment Loki had screamed, the sound like thunder in Thor's ears, and Laufey's smile had only made it worse. Thor didn't know exactly what was happening, he didn't think anyone did, but the bastard who was hurting his brother would have hel to pay.

When Thor had seen the blue, he first thought it was one of Loki's tricks, and had been tempted to laugh at the giants' reactions. When he realized said reactions mirrored Loki's own, he didn't know what to think. And when he'd finally acted, he was already ashamed because he knew it had taken far too long.

But now Loki needed him, and he wasn't going anywhere.

"Explain to me, Asgardian," Laufey sneered, spitting the name out like it was filth. "Why are you resistant to the freeze? Why does your skin become like that of my own kind?" The king was stepping closer to Loki with each word, voice becoming louder as the sentences progressed, and it took all Loki had not to fall on his backside again. A low, threatening growl stopped Laufey in his tracks and he turned, only to find Thor's hard eyes challenging his own, lips pulled back from his white teeth as the noise escaped him.

Laufey threw back his head and laughed.

To say that Thor was furious was an understatement. He felt like he were made of ocean, and that it was churning and turning and running rampage inside him. He felt it bubble up in a massive frenzy, all the way up his throat and into his mouth and he wanted to scream and yell and smash Laufey to pieces. He felt a stampede of anger in his skull, and in his mind he was destroying the entire frozen tundra with his bare hands. He would begin with Laufey, tear his extremities off his body and use them to beat him bloody. He would crush his ribs, disembowel the bastard, before calling forth the lightening and ripping an endless scream from the blue lips. Laufey would die screaming, and Loki wouldn't be scared anymore. Together they would destroy the rest of the Frost Giants, fighting side by side.

And Thor wouldn't hesitate to begin the battle.

"Thor, no!"

Sif's words cut through Thor's mind, giving him barely a second to react. He'd thrown Mjolnir directly at Laufey, the weapon flying through the air and thunder lighting up the sky. He thought he was fast, but the Giant was faster. Thor managed to stop his hammer just as it was about to make contact, leaving it stranded in the air in front of his enemies face.

Only it wasn't his enemy. It was Loki.

Loki was held out before Laufey, dangling in the air again, with that blasted blue hand at his throat. He stayed completely still as Mjolnir slowly returned to Thor, who met his brother's eyes with ones panicked and afraid. He had not been expecting that, then, was what crossed Loki's mind. He felt like smiling, but fought the urge. Not the time.

"Odinson," Laufey yelled, addressing Thor. "You now have something I want. In return for it, you and your friends will be allowed to return home safely."

"And my brother?"

Loki didn't need to turn around to know that Laufey was smiling.

"He is what I want."

Loki's eyes widened significantly in the moment before Laufey threw him to the ground. The giant had intended to leave him defenseless and weak so he couldn't leave. Leave him defenseless and weak so Thor couldn't leave, because Thor couldn't leave without him.

Thor cried out suddenly as Loki's decent began, as if he himself were having his skull crushed as it hit the ice. Sif appeared behind him, the Warriors Three also sprinting to their prince, and together the we're able to stop Thor from throwing himself at Laufey. Form throwing himself at Loki.

From helping his brother.

But just as Loki was about to hit the ice he disappeared. Dissipated. He was just gone. Laufey froze, in shock, before letting out a murderous howl. He glared at the Warriors Three, Sif and Thor, teeth bared, eyes blazing.

"Where did he go!?"

Thor broke away from his friends, stepping forward and scanning the surrounding area for any sign of his brother. His eyes betrayed his worry and his hands shook at his sides. The entire area was silent and Thor listened for any noise, anything that would point him to Loki. His brother was good at keeping quiet, and Thor didn't think that he'd find or hear anything if Loki didn't want to be found or heard, but he wasn't going to stop. No one else was going to stop him either. He supposed he looked like a nightmare in that moment, scary as hel and not to be trifled with.

And then he finally heard it. A footstep, a blessed footstep. The crunching of snow under a heavy boot. The tiny, quiet, inaudible, screaming, sound in his ears. He turned and Loki was there, standing just in front of the warriors, staring at him with wide eyes, his arm still against his chest. That gave Thor a good idea of what happened. Loki had made a clone of himself as he was examining his arm. This could be another clone as well, but it meant that Loki was okay, and that was all Thor cared about.

Thor offered his brother a small smile.

The Thunderer spun as he heard Laufey growl loudly and menacingly, stepping so he was somewhere between the king and Loki. The former moved closer to him, but he stood his ground, not daring to fall back and put his brother in danger, or at least more danger than that which was a given. A few steps later saw Laufey less than a meter in front of Thor, snarling down at him with burning eyes.

"Give us your brother, and we will let you and your friends leave."  
Thor didn't speak, meeting Laufey's glare with one of his own. The Frost Giant lifted his palm, intent on bringing it down across Thor's cheek.

Thor would have let him.

Loki wouldn't.

A small pulse of Loki's energy was all it took to have Laufey sliding across the ice, not wounded but thoroughly humiliated. As Giants began to charge at the party, Loki used more of his magic and wrapped a shield, like a large green dome, around them. It was pulsating slightly, buzzing with magic and energy. The giants crashed against it and Loki stumbled, but held his ground. Thor was behind him in a second, leaning his back against his brother's own, weapon in hand. It looked like a battle stance, but was really Thor's means of steading his brother without damaging his pride. The warriors' stood near them, eyes watching the charging giants closely, prepared for a fight should Loki's wall falter. Thor could feel his brother lean against him more heavily with each shock that shook the wall.

Similar tremors ran through Loki, and soon Thor's back against his own was the only thing keeping him upright. He slid lower, toward the ice. Each bang as a giant threw itself against the shield felt like his brother was smashing a hammer into his skull. The world spun before his eyes and he was only vaguely aware that he was sliding downwards.

Before Loki could hit the ice, Thor spun, wrapping one arm around Loki's abdomen and holding him close. Sif came behind him, and he held Mijolnir in front of him and his brother, as if daring any enemy to come closer. The Giants froze for a second, before all sneering in unison and charging harder and faster. Loki only groaned pitifully from his position on Thor's lap, his eyes tightly closed. The shield remained strong.

And then Laufey threw a blade into the shield.

Through the shield.

And Thor dropped his weapon as he growled, using both hands to hold Loki tighter. His brother cried out softly, blood staining his lips, his shaking hand pressed against his shoulder. He grit his teeth and clenched his eyes shut, trying to block out the pain and keep the shield in place.

More giants threw their weapons against the barrier, some bouncing off, other cutting through only to be deflected by the warriors and Sif. A few lodged themselves into wall, and it was those that caused Loki the most pain. His magic was an extension of himself, and although he wasn't physically wounded it certainly felt like it.

As Thor looked around, he saw the shield finally faltering, his friends beginning to knock back both swords and fists that broke through. Loki's body jerked and spasmed, his breathing harsh. Laufey's roaring laughter filled the air. The clash of metal against metal, once glorious but now horrifying.

Thor didn't know what to do.

And then the Bifrost opened above his head, his father's face appearing in the clouds alongside Heimdal's. The sky ripped itself apart in a frenzy of colour as if it was parting and bowing before the king. When Odin's voice rang out, all movement stopped.

All Thor remembered was the harsh yet careful pulling of the Bifrost launching him, his brother and his friends into the air. They all landed with a thud in the Observatory. Heimdal stood before them, keeping the bridge open while Odin remained on the other side.

The Warriors three spared Thor a glance before moving off towards the healing chambers, Hogun and Voltsaag both having been injured in the battle. Sif remained to speak for then in their absence, although in the end she was not needed.

Thor barely recognised any of this, his attention immediately snapping back to Loki, who was lying limp across his lap. The younger god blinked open owlish eyes, his shaky breaths slowly evening and his body flexing subconsciously. He looked at Thor, calmed by the familiar face, and let himself smile. It was only small, the slightest quirking of his lip, but it was enough, and Thor graciously helped him to his feet.

After a few deep breaths he stopped shaking, and Loki was finally comfortable enough to face Odin, averting his eyes as he attempted to school them. Thor gave him the privacy, turning toward the Bifrost to face the king.

It was only seconds later when Odin's booming voice filled the air.

"Thor!"

Another second and then Odin was before them, eye blazing.

"What were you thinking, you insolent child!? You endangered not only your life, but the lives of your warriors and your brother. You acted thoughtlessly and other men payed the price!"

"Father, I did it for you, we need to"-

Thor was cut off by his father's harsh words, brutal and callous in their deliverance. He visibly faltered, face dropping like that of a kicked puppy as he was scolded.

"No, Thor, if you decided to resolve all conflict like this then you are not fit to sit upon the throne of Asgard. You will be stripped of your"-

"It was me."

Both Thor and Odin blanched at the quiet admission, and in the formers case obvious lie, but Loki kept his face stony and jaded. All traces of hurt and fear had left his green eyes although a small measure of pain refused to dissipate, and before Thor could speak Loki silently moved his fingers, magic bursting from the tips and rendering Thor temporarily mute. Odin didn't so much as glance back at his oldest as he moved towards Loki, his single eye running over the thin form as if sizing him up with a glance. Loki stood strong, prepared for any and all of the punishments Odin would no doubt subject him to. Thor again tried to intervene but found himself unable to do so, still influenced by Loki's magic.

Sif, understanding Loki's motives, chose this time to sneak away, leaving the two princes to face their father alone.

After a few long moments, far too many to count, Odin dismissed them. It was now Loki's turn to blanch, not having expected that outcome or the lack of consequence he would presently receive. He had no doubt that his father would find some way to retract penance, but was honestly pleased that he had chosen to let them recover from the recent ordeal. Loki watched as Odin left, his posture weary and aura greatly diminished, and consciously wondered whether another Odinsleep was nigh.

He had little time to wonder, however, as Thor was once again granted full use of his facilities and chose to celebrate this by grasping Loki strongly at the shoulders and shaking him. Loki was vaguely aware of the unbridled anger shining in his brother's blue eyes, accompanied by a curious measure of pain although Loki was completely certain that Thor had not sustained any injuries during their previous battle.

"What were you thinking?! You mustn't allow this, brother! Why? Why would you sacrifice your own well being for my sake, he would not have done anything to me!"

Loki chuckled weakly, swaying in Thor's grasp as his head began to pound, and cut his brother off before any more words could be spoken.

"You underestimate him, Thor..."

Loki's voice wavered, and he let his eyes fall closed. Thor did not continue speaking, instead waiting for Loki to continue, his previously angered demeanor now radiating a fearsome bout of concern.

"He would have... exiled you, I am sure. You can't leave me now Thor, not... not when I just..."

For the first time in his life, words seemed to fail Loki, and his knees buckled, sending him sprawling downwards. Thor caught him before he could do any more damage, holding Loki's now unmoving form close to his chest, and with an unhappy look at Heimdal he lifted his burden and moved in the direction of his younger brother's chambers, refusing to let the tears that welled up in his eyes fall.


End file.
